Can you find all 130 golden walnuts? Here is the most comprehensive written guide to solving Ginger Island’s biggest puzzle.
Introduction to Golden Walnuts
If you’re playing Version 1.5, you’ll know that once you finish the Community Center, you get a letter from Willy. He tells you that he wants to show you something in his back room. It’s an old boat that he wants you to help fix up. Once you do, he brings you to Ginger Island, a whole new area of the game to explore.
The golden walnuts are an important form of currency on Ginger Island. You learn that the parrots who inhabit the island absolutely love them. They’ll fix up different parts of the island in exchange for golden walnuts.
There are 130 golden walnuts in total. Some of them are easy to find, but others prove more difficult. This guide will be the most comprehensible article around. In it, you’ll learn exactly where to find all the golden walnuts, plus the best order to get them in.
First Few Walnuts – Follow Leo
When you first land on Ginger Island, you’ll see a young boy dressed as a bird who runs away when he sees you. Follow him and you’ll find your first couple of golden walnuts.
1. On the Tree in the Jungle
Next, walk into Leo’s hut up the long set of stairs. Make sure you give the golden walnut you’ve already found to his parrot. Next, hit the tree to the right of the parrot with an axe.
2. Inside the Tree in Leo’s Hut
Leave the hut and follow the path to the right of the stairs.
3. Hidden behind some Trees in the Bird Puzzle Room
Follow the Magma Sprite North
Once you leave the jungle, you’ll see a magma sprite hovering at the entrance to the north. Follow it, and it will bring you all the way to the volcano at the top of the island. Head into the volcano; make sure you have your watering can.
4-5. Follow a Path Through the Lava
Use your watering can to create a pathway across the magma. Create a path that leads to the left of the entrance until you reach a different exit out of the volcano.
Walk out the door to find two more golden walnuts on some trees.
Head back into the volcano. If you’re feeling brave, you can try to make it to the top floor of the volcano. Make sure you’re prepared for some tough monsters and have a full watering can. On floor ten you’ll find two more golden walnuts. (You can come back and get this later if you don’t want to deal with it right now.)
6-7. On Trees on Floor 10 of the Volcano
That second set of stairs next to the golden walnut on the left will lead you right back to the bottom of the volcano again. Leave the volcano and head to the left and you’ll see a walnut hidden among some trees.
8. Navigate Through the Trees
Follow the edge of the trees until you reach the very top of the island. Then follow this pathway through the trees to reach your next walnut.
9. Circle of Stones to the Left of the Volcano
There are many places across Ginger Island where you’ll find these naturally formed circles. They’re often a hiding spot for a walnut. Hit it with your hoe to dig it up.
10. Behind the second tree to the right of the volcano
11. Ring of stones to the right of the volcano
12. Shoot at the tree on the far right of the volcano with a slingshot
13. patch of sand to the right of two palm trees
14. Ring of flowers between trees just north of the southern Stairs
15. stone circle to the right of #14
16. Ring of Stones to the left of the Southern Stairs
Just past the squirrel near #16 is another maze through the trees.
17. Navigate through the trees just north of #16
18. Walk through the path behind the tree to the right of the southern stairs
Unlock the Western Part of the Island
At this point, you should have enough golden walnuts to gain access to the west side of the island. Pay the bird to wake up the sleeping turtle.
19-23. Solve the Bird Puzzle
Now that all of the main parts of the island are unlocked, you can start collecting gems from the birds that appear when it rains.
On rainy days, one of four birds will appear on different parts of the island. The birds will be four out of five of the following randomly generated colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Your game seed will determine the four colors of the birds and will never change on that save. Each bird has a corresponding gemstone that it will drop when it appears. You’ll need to put that stone on the correct pedestal in the area to the right of Leo’s hut.
Note: the birds might not appear in this order or in these colors. You’ll have to check all four areas of the island until you’ve figured out where each bird appears.
The southern bird will appear to the left of the docks. The gem should be placed on the bottom pedestal.
The northern bird will appear between the two trees to the south of the Island Field Office. This gem should be placed on the top pedestal.
The eastern bird will appear in the jungle below Leo’s hut. This gem should be placed on the right pedestal.
The western bird will appear across the bridge to the left of the island farm. This gem should be placed on the right pedestal.
Once you’ve put all of the gems in the correct spots, the statue will give you five golden walnuts. The fifth gem that isn’t pictured here is an amethyst. Technically, you don’t need to find all four birds to solve this puzzle. You can solve it through the process of elimination. You can also speed up this up by using rain totems on the island.
Exploring the West Side of Ginger Island
24. Ring of starfish and driftwood on the shore south of the farm
25. Walk across the stones and into the shipwreck south of the farm
26. Ring of Starfish Beneath Boulder
On the other side of the bridge is a boulder that will require at least a steel axe to break. Underneath that boulder is a ring of starfish with a golden walnut in the middle.
27. Behind a palm tree to the right of the pond
Just north of #26 is another golden walnut hiding behind a palm tree.
28. X marks the spot between the tide pools
29. Play Whack-a-Mole Southeast of the Tide Pools
Below and to the right of the tide pools are four holes. There’s a small green worm that will pop in and out of the holes. Cover three of the holes with a piece of furniture (such as fence posts.) The worm will be forced to the fourth hole. When you hit him with a tool he’ll give you a golden walnut.
30. Ring of sand to the left of the tide pools
Continue walking north along the beach, passing the Pirate Wife’s hut. (You’ll come back to her for a quest later.)
31. Tree just south of Qi’s Walnut Room
There’s a mysterious door with a picture of a golden walnut on it. You’ll be able to access this room once you’ve found 100 of the 130 golden walnuts.
32. On the Shore North of the Walnut Room
Walk along the shore to the left of the Walnut Room. Keep walking until you see a tree with a golden walnut on your right.
Head back to Qi’s Walnut Room and go up the stairs to the right of it. This is called the Tiger Slime Grove.
33. Ring of grass behind a palm tree in tiger grove
34. Behind the mahogany tree to the left of #33
35. Killing all the tiger slimes in the grove
36. Navigate the pathway to the lower right of the tiger slime grove
Walk to the bottom left of the tiger slime grove. There’s a pathway blocked by a few obstacles such as stones and weeds. Clear these to access #36.
37. Hidden behind some trees to the right of the tiger slime grove
Exit the grove through the top right. There’s another walnut hidden just before the bridge.
38-40. Solve the Crystal Cave Puzzle
There’s a pathway just above the bridge before you cross it. It looks blocked, but you can navigate your way through it. Behind that curved tree is a cave entrance.
Talk to the statue at the back of the cave and it will trigger a puzzle similar to the game Simon. The crystals will light up in a certain pattern that you need to repeat. There are five rounds, and the last one is pretty fast. It might take you a few tries to get it, so just breathe and be patient. Once you complete this puzzle, you’ll be rewarded with three golden walnuts.
41. Past the Tree Overhang Across the bridge
Cross the bridge and walk immediately south below a tree overhang. You’ll be able to get the golden walnut on the other side of the trees.
42. Ring of flowers to the right of the bridge
43. Hidden Pathway in the trees to the right of #42
The pathway is easier to see during the day. However, it’s easier to navigate it at night if you’re wearing a ring that provides light. At the top of the pathway is a golden walnut.
At this point, you’ll have enough to unlock the bridge to the left of the Field Office. Head back to the northern part of the island.
Unlocking the Dig Site
After repairing the bridge, head up the stairs to the left of the boulder. (You’ll unlock that in a second.)
44. Ring of stones just above the stairs
45. Across the bridge on a tree
46-47. Through the Cliff and across the bridge
To the right of the ring of stones, there’s a hidden pathway through the cliff face. On the other side, you’ll be able to cross a bridge to get two more golden walnuts.
Helping Professor Snail
Now get rid of the boulder with any type of explosive. You can use a cherry bomb, regular bomb, mega bomb, or explosive ammo. Once you do, you’ll get a cut scene with Professor Snail and unlock the Field Office. For a more detailed guide on how to solve the Field Office puzzles, click here. Here is a summary of the golden walnuts you can get through the Field Office.
48. Report that there are 22 purple flowers on the island
49. Report that there are 18 purple starfish on the island
50. Donate the mummified frog
51. Donate the Mummified Bat
52-54. Donate the snake fossils
55-60. Donate the large animal fossils
Gourmand Frog Puzzle
At this point, you’ll have enough golden walnuts to unlock the farmhouse (which the parrot calls the sleep hut.)
After you repair the farmhouse, a cave to the right of the stairs opens up. There’ll you find Gourmand Frog who asks for three different types of crops. The first are melons, the second is wheat, and the third is garlic.
This might be tricky to get depending on what season you’re in. If you have some of those crops stored somewhere, use the seed maker to turn them into seeds again. You only need one of each, and they can be planted all at once. If you’re impatient, use some Speed Gro on the melon.
61-75. Plant each of Gourmand’s Requested Crops
Pirate’s Wife Quest
Head over to the far west side of the island to the old lady’s hut. She’ll give you a quest to help find a trinket from her husband who has passed away. For a more detailed guide on how to complete this quest, click here.
76-80. Complete the Pirate’s Wife Quest
The Banana Shrine
81-83. Offer a banana to the banana shrine
After finishing the Large Animal fossil, Professor Snail will give you a banana sapling. Plant it on your farm and wait for it to be fully grown. Once you’ve gotten at least one banana, bring it to the jungle. Place it on the shrine to the left of the stairs to Leo’s hut. A gorilla will come out and grab it, giving you three golden walnuts in exchange.
Unlocking Pirate’s cove
Once you’ve found another 20 golden walnuts, you can unlock the resort. This will also allow villagers to randomly visit on Sunny days. If Gus visits, he’ll sell you a few specialty items, as well as a recipe exclusive to Ginger Island.
Building the resort also unlocks a pathway to the southeast side of the island. This area is known as Pirate’s Cove. There are quite a few more golden walnuts that you can find here.
84. Fish in the middle of the star-shaped tide pool
85. circle of stars to the right of the tide pool
There’s a bit of flat driftwood that looks a little bit like a welcome mat. It’s the entrance to the pirate’s cave.
86. Patch of dirt by the barrels
Walk through the cave and down to the pond inside of it. To the right of the pond, there is a patch of dirt near some barrels. Use the hoe to dig out a golden walnut.
87-89. Playing Darts in the Pirate’s Cave
On sunny even days after 8 PM, this cave comes alive with partying pirates. One of them will offer you three golden walnuts for completing three rounds of darts. In the first round you get 20 darts, in the second you get 15, and in the third round, you get 10. He’ll give you one golden walnut after completing each round.
Here’s a tip for playing darts. The thing about this game that makes it difficult is the cursor moves on its own as well as you being able to control it. However, the automatic movement is in a regular pattern that looks a bit like this: ∞. It’s a combination of an infinity symbol and a sideways figure 8. Use this pattern to help predict where the dart will land.
Hidden in the Pages of the Journal
If you talk to Leo’s parrot, it’ll give you hints about golden walnuts you haven’t found yet. One of the more cryptic hints it’ll give is, “Hidden in the pages of the journal.” Throughout your time on Ginger Island, you’ll be picking up journal scraps from a mystery explorer. Several of these have images of where to find hidden walnuts, as well as one fairly confusing puzzle.
Note: you cannot find these walnuts until after you find their corresponding journal scrap. The only exception to this is the puzzle in Journal Scrap #9. You can do that any time it rains, even if you haven’t found the correct journal scrap.
90. Journal Scrap #4: Between bushes north of Birdie’s hut
91. Journal Scrap #6: Far right corner of the shore south of the farm
92. Journal Scrap #10: Behind the curved tree to the left of the volcano
Solving the Mermaid puzzle
Journal Scrap #9 introduces a cryptic poem that tells you how to get the next five walnuts. This poem might be particularly confusing for those who aren’t familiar with American currency. (Honestly, it can be confusing even if you are familiar with American currency.)
93-97. Journal Scrap #9: The mermaid puzzle
On a rainy day, make 5 flute blocks (you receive this recipe from Robin at 6 hearts.) Line them up with the five spots with small bunches of stones. Each bunch corresponds to an amount of American change in nickels and pennies. Nickels are 5 cents each and pennies are 1 cent each. Tap each block the number of times that corresponds with the amount of change.
The first block is 2 because the stones look like two pennies.
The second block is 11 because the stones look like two nickels and one penny.
The third block is 9 because the stones look like one nickel and four pennies.
The fourth block is 5 because the stone looks like one nickel.
The fifth block is 7 because the stones look like one nickel and two pennies.
Walk beside the five blocks, playing the Mermaid’s Song from the Mermaid Show at the Night Market. The Mermaid will give you five golden walnuts.
Generally Interacting with Ginger Island
The last 33 walnuts you will find from normal play around the island.
98. Cracking Open a Golden Coconut
When you shake palm trees with a visible coconut, you have a 10% chance of also finding a golden coconut. They will also sometimes show up when digging Artifact Spots on Ginger Island. These can be taken to Clint’s shop for him to crack open similar to geodes. The first golden coconut you bring to him will always have one golden walnut in it.
99-115. Exploring the Volcano
You’ll be able to find 17 golden walnuts by exploring the 10 floors of the volcano. These may be through killing monsters, breaking rocks, or opening chests. While collecting these walnuts, be sure to explore all of the floors of the volcano. There are some golden walnuts that are exclusive to floors 6 through 9.
116-120. Fishing
You’ll find 5 golden walnuts while fishing on the island. Until you have found all five, each time you cast, you have a 15% chance of finding one. It doesn’t matter where on the island you fish.
121-125. Farming
You’ll find another 5 golden walnuts from harvesting crops that you grow on the island farm. Any crops will grow, regardless of their season. For example, you can grow cauliflower, melons, and pumpkins all at the same time.
The quickest way to reach this goal is by planting the taro tubers you find on the island. Like rice, they’ll grow faster if you plant them near water.
126-130. Hitting the Mussel Nodes
On the shore just south of the island farm, you’ll find rocks that look like ore nodes, except they contain mussels. You’ll find the last 5 golden walnuts from breaking these with your axe. They’ll slowly respawn over time since you likely won’t find all five the first time you break them all.
The mussels can be used to purchase a mango sapling from the Island Trader.
